Our country and countries across the world are being greatly affected by COVID-19. Here is the “official” statement from F3 Nation on what is happening right now.
We are a #Starfish. Our mission is explicitly to invigorate male community leadership. Our hope is that we, to some degree or other, have done this. Therefore, we urge you to look locally to your Nant’ans for guidance on what you may want to do on the ground where you are. From Charlotte, we can’t know what the best practice is for Omaha, nor would we pretend to. Omaha will know what to do for Omaha, the same is to be said for regions across the Nation.
Be smart. We’ve all likely seen by now the many practices that are recommended by the CDC and other experts. In fact, very many of the great Leaders and Nant’ans of F3 have already put out guidelines for how they suggest things be handled locally in their regions. For example, in Puget Sound, where the virus made US landfall, they have been adjusting their COTs to not include a BOM, encouraging men to stay home if they feel sick, no partner work, etc. Again, look local for what you all might do to avoid spread of both the virus and any panic that may surround it.
LEAD. It is times like these that we now get to put into practice all this stuff we’ve talked about over the years. We have attempted to get ready for the expected, while staying ready for the unexpected… this is truly unexpected, unprecedented even… Lean in, do good, find a way to be useful and of service to your family and your community (even if that truly is staying home because you aren’t sure if you’ve been infected) and then articulate your vision of how you intend to help people… persuade them to join in the help, and exhort them as necessary.
Men, THIS is the kind of thing that we were made for. THIS is the kind of thing that you’ve been getting ready for by posting and living third. Go make cool stuff happen… we will get through this just fine.
We love you, and if the Nation can help in terms of resources, communication or otherwise, on a level past your local region, let us know. We will. ISI,
Thank you for the chance to lead the group this morning, I appreciate the PAX that made the extra effort to be there for my first Q in Delaware. My backblasts are pretty short but are usually prompt.
8 HIM enjoyed a full body beat down this AM with a focus on legs, shoulders and chest.
WARM-O-RAMA:
Copperhead Squat – 21 IC
Reverse Lunges – 21 IC
SSH – 21 IC
Tin Soldiers – 21 IC
LBAC – 21 IC
RLBAC – 21 IC
Moroccan Nightclubs – 21 IC
LBC – 21 IC
Copperhead Merkins – 10 IC (ish)
THE THANG:
PAX lined up single file for an indian run to the parking lot by the bridge.
PAX paired up to do a Lazy Dora
100 Merkins per pair, P1 pushing, P2 planking
200 LBC per pair, P1 crunching, P2 holding 6 inches
300 Squats per pair, P1 squating, P2 holding Al Gore
Plank for 6 and then some
Returned to the AO by indian run
SSH – 21 IC
Imperial Walkers / Storm Troopers / Whatever – 21 IC
Grass Grabbers / Cherry Pickers – 21 IC
This was the point I realized we were working out all the way to Six AM, off to the benches by the canal where:
Skull Crushers – 5 IC (Left/Right)
Dips – 20 OYO
Rinse and repeat x 3, then mosey back to the court.
COT/BOM:
Number-Rama
Name-O-Rama
Announcements:
Softball games Saturday in Milton to raise support for Delaware Food Bank: Bring your non-perishable food items to the ball fields (Suggestion: You could ruck them to the ball fields.)
2nd Annual Shamruck: Family Ruck this Sunday (3/15). Stepping off from the Big Lot’s parking lot in Milford at 3:17 p.m. Rucking 1 mile to McDonald’s for Shamrock Shakes. Rucking 1 mile to return to parking. Bring a ruck (40 lbs if you weigh over 150, 20 lbs if you weigh under 150. If the kids can’t ruck pull ’em in a wagon, bring friends, etc. Let’s just enjoy some time together under ruck and having some quality 2ndF and giving our families the opportunity to get to know one another.
Prayers
I’m not used to posting prayers online so I’ll leave it for people to comment section anything we discussed.
3rdF:
Since I left out a designated 3rdF, I’ll quote something here:
“F3 Nation defines Living Third as the consistent and deliberate placement of oneself third, behind Creator and Community.
We close each CoT with a brief “shout-out” led by one of the participants. Men are free to pray to their god or to speak from a secular perspective — F3 is open to men of all faiths and no faith, and the closing shout-out is generally the only faith-specific component of a workout. We do it because we are thankful for the opportunity to come together and build ourselves into better men and because the vocal and corporate expression of that gratitude builds a stronger F3 community.
Outside of the workouts, we have found that many F3 participants, after getting in the best physical shape of their adult lives and meeting their social needs for the first time as adults, start taking a more serious approach to questions of meaning and purpose. Many F3 workouts have spawned Bible studies, attendance at speaker series and other 3rd F initiatives. We encourage those efforts as supplements to the workouts and an important way for F3 participants to exercise leadership in their families and communities.”
WARM O RAMA: IN CADENCE —- SSH x 20, Cherry Picker x 20, Morrocan Night Clubs x 20, Smurf Jacks x 20, Travoltas x 20, Elwoods x 20
THE THANG:
(1). Each HIM receives a die to carry with him through the workout. The PAX mosied to a series of stations located throughout Lewes (Canal Gazebo, Canal Lot, St. Peters Wall).
(2). Before the PAX arrived at each station, the QIC threw his die. The group then performed ten times the number of Merkins shown on the initial dice throw.
(3). Upon completion of these Merkins, the PAX mosied to the next exercise station to perform the following routine: (a) Seal Jacks, (b) Tennesee Rocking Chairs, (c) Smurf Jacks, (d) Travoltas, (e) Elwoods, (f) Mountain Climbers. The number of repetitions for each exercise was determined by the sum total of all dice thrown by the PAX.
(4). The QIC then throws his own die and the PAX performs ten times that number of Merkins before again proceeding to the next station.
THIRD F:
The question posed was why vote on Super Tuesday? And if there is a reason, is this reason relevant to anything else happening to us? The QIC suggested that voting is an opportunity to think through what is important, to be inquisitive, and then to be intentional with the information gathered.
If this is a valid reason to vote – and to decide how one is voting – this same approach might be applicable to situations at home or work when an important decision needs to be made. Inquire, think, act. Simple…..?
And since there is a Presidential election coming our way, here are words of wisdom from earlier office holders:
“It’s easier to do the job right than to explain why you didn’t. (Van Buren)
“Amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets credit.” (Truman)
“In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.” (Jefferson)
“Accomplishment is a journey, not a destination.” (Eisenhower)
“Presidents are like cemeteries, there are lots of folks under you and no one is listening.” (Clinton)
“If I walked across the the Potomac, the headline would read ‘Johnson can’t swim'”. (LBJ)
“I left an order to be awakened in case of any emergency, even if I was in a Cabinet meeting.” (Reagan)
COT / ANNOUNCEMENTS / PRAYERS
Milton Parade coming – See Pre Blast for workout next Saturday
25 Seal jacks. I/c 20 Cherry picker. I/c Capri lap – side shuffle length of court, nur width of court, side shuffle length of court, and nur width of court 25 Seal wave. I/c 20 Windmill I/c Capri lap – side shuffle length of court, nur width of court, side shuffle length of court, and nur width of court 25 Ssh. I/c 20 mountain climbers i/c
THE THANG
Mosey to far side of ball field. 1 HIM does 10 Abyss merkins between picnic tables while rest of pax does derkins rotating through pax till all have completed abyss merkins.
Mosey to backside of lifesaving station 15 hanging knee raises from leanto header Crawl dragon up ramp, dragon crawl down ramp 15 hanging knee raises Dan lt. Up and lt. Dan down ramp 15 hanging knee raises 25 6″ squats 25 sumo squats 25 squats on the ramp facing the water
3rd F Go After God’s Heart https://bible.com/reading-plans/2272/day/1?segment=0
Mosey to playground beside basketball court 25 calf raises off ledge 20 urkins 15 split squats per leg 10 burpees 5 super bananas 10 burpees 15 split squats per leg 20 urkins 25 calf raises off ledge
Mosey back to center court
6 HIM showed – semi, Chappie, Chairman, Wildwing, Ruxpin, kings point
Grady Corn-Four-count exercise that begins in a standing position with your arms together, straight out in front of you. Swing your arms back to a “T” formation, then over your head to form a triangle, then back down to a “T”, and then back to the starting position.
The Thang
Hurricane Hoedown Flutter kick circuit performed in cadence: 7 IC Seated Flutter Kicks with hands raised in Hallelujahs. Move immediately to hands behind you. 7 IC slightly reclined flutterkicks. Move immediately to 7 IC normal flutter kicks. Move immediately to 7 IC LBC Flutter kicks. Rinse and repeat as needed. The real crowd pleaser is to work your way down the cadence ladder 7,6,5..
Bear Crawl 1-2-3 Partner up, perform 100 flutterkicks (50 each) 200 American hammers (100 each) 300 lbc (150 each) as a team. While Partner 1 is doing the 1-2-3, Partner 2 Bear Crawls across tennis courts and crawl bears back then they switch as an added bonus QIC Gump added a #40 GORUCK sandbag to the mix and one person who stayed back to do the ab exercises had to perform the exercise with the sandbag. Once the partner returned the partner used the sandbag, then we gave the sandbag to the other group and continued swapping the sandbag until we were all completed with the exercise
F3 Message:
Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible the two saints were actually one person. Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love. Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United Stateswere printed in the mid-1800s. Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day.
The Bible tells us all that we need to know about love, I pulled just a few scriptures that tell us about Christian Love.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
I Corinthians 13:1-8
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, Ephesians 5:25 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV
Finished off the Gloom with some Mary exercises (because you know we didn’t get enough
Warm O Rama: In Cadence – SSH x 25, Cherry Picker x 25, Alabama Ass Kickers x 25, Daniel Son (Karate Kid Crane Kicks) x 5 each leg, Windmill x 25,
The Thang:
Pax performed four HIIT training exercises for a period of 60 seconds with a 30 second recovery period between each exercise at the following locations:
….Bath Overhang: (Squatting Joe Lewis, Big Boys, Broad Jumps); ….Park Gazebo: (American Hammers, Mountain Climbers, LBCs); ….St. Peter’s Wall: (Dirkins, Apollo Ohnos, High Knee Taps); ….Bank Tunnel: (Overhead Squat Claps, Bobby Hurleys, Fireman Ladders).
In addition, there were two impromptu sessions – LBCs in the bank driveway and circle merkins near Rose and Crown.
F3 Message: According to some, the President gave a rollicking State of the Union speech last night and, in honor of this, the F3 message began by recalling memorable SOU’s from years past:
James Polk (1848): “The accounts of the abundance of gold in [California} are of such a character as can scarcely command respect….”
Franklin Roosevelt (1942): Berlin and Tokyo know “that victory for us means victory for freedom….It means victory for the institution of democracy – the ideal of the family, the simple principles of common decency and humanity. They know that victory for us means victory for religion. And they could not tolerate that. The world is too small … for Hitler and God.
Abraham Lincoln (1862): Proposed constitutional amendments by which the federal government would free slaves and compensate owners by 1900. Lincoln argued that this formed the basis of a compromise to end the civil war. He ended by stating: “Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We will be remembered in spite of ourselves….We say we are for the Union. We know how to save the Union. [By freeing the slaves] we shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of hearth. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just – a way which if followed the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless.
F3 messages are generally uplifting and relevant. This SOU briefing was neither. It did, however, make me think where does one find a moral compass these days. For some, it is natural to pull inspiration from the Bible. (As Chappie says, it is now permissible for anyone to read it.). But, according to Pew Foundation polling, Catholics have different sources of moral guidance – 10% from the Pope, about the same from the Bible, and, surprisingly, the vast majority of Catholics have their moral compass set by watching what others do and say.
So, to tie this together, I wanted to thank the HIM’s for the guidance they give – Chappie mentioning guardrails for posting and many others who support their families and Ms in small and large ways. Uplifting, relevant, and useful. Well done, F3.
Six PAX is never a good start to your day, unless, of course, you’re talking about 6 F3 PAX who won THAT FIRST BATTLE by unpartaking of the Fartsack and were lucky enough to post at the Primis AO in Lewes, DE.
No. One. Ever. Regrets. Posting. Post!
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH – 18 IC
Moroccan NC’s – 10 IC
Italian NC’s – 10 IC
The Motivator (Shout out to the men of F3 Lanco, YHC borrowed this excellent warm-up exercise)
Calf Raises – 30 IC
Crab Flipper – 18 IC (Now Local & Legit: a variation of the Cherry Picker, PAX pick cherries…er, um…flip crabs on the 3-count near the left foot, then down the middle between feet, then on the 3-count near the right foot, continuing to alternate L, M, R, R, M, L throughout the exercise — it’s now local gentlemen…and good for warming up and stretching)
At this point PAX took the Shovel Flag for a short tour (.96 miles) Patriot Run.
PAX returned from Patriot Run to the Tennis courts where, low and behold, awaiting was a giant pair of dice and YHC’s Board of Pain…
Look at that pair!
PAX each took turns rolling the dice, accomplishing each exercise on the Board of Pain except SSH, Squats, Merkins, Sandbag Circle, and Dying Cockroaches. First lucky roll came from Ruxpin who kicked it off by rolling a 9: Flying Squirrels (25 of those suckers darn near whooped us!) But we continued.
The Q inserted 2 laps around the tennis court [for a breather]. First time around PAX did the Nur. Second time around PAX Side-shuffled.
YHC also gave the PAX a breather by sharing the following 3rdF:
Just a reminder of what this F3 thing–this Fitness, Fellowship, & Faith thing–is about…it’s all about LEADERSHIP! We’re here because we inherently desire to sharpen our ability to lead.
The F3 mission itself is to “PLANT, GROW, & SERVE SMALL WORKOUT GROUPS OF MEN FOR THE INVIGORATION OF MALE COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP.”
You’re all here because you’re a part of that mission, because you recognize on a personal level you’ve not arrived and you have room to grow in the area of leadership…be it in your home, your workplace, or the communities in which you serve.
We tend to think leadership is…
▪ A solo adventure, that we have to go it alone. We see ourselves standing atop the proverbial mountain directing our “troops” into battle.
▪ We tend to think it’s about our position and how to get to the next rung on the ladder.
▪ We tend to think leadership is about us (me, myself, and I)
▪ And…its none of these things at all! In fact, some of the greatest detriments to our ability to lead are actually our own egos, our push to rise to the top of the pecking order, or our desire for recognition.
Not having it all together (and worse yet, the trap that follows of ACTING like we do) we hide behind power and position. Afraid we will be found out… afraid that others (men especially) will see that we actually don’t have it all together, we end up taking stances in leadership that hinder, rather than help, our ability to lead. Then too often we end up forfeiting opportunities to master leadership by learning from our failures (we think we’re not allowed to fail).
We tend to assume “the bigger my ego, the more respect I’ll be able to demand, and the better my leadership.” But reality is that the biggest thing that needs to be put in check is, in fact, our egos.
I base these statements on the example we see in Christ: In Jesus is found the example of a servant leader who, though fully divine, took on humanity and the human experience. He did this to redeem us…
Think about that: God became a man, and at that, A SERVANT [LEADER], because there was something enormous at stake: Your life… eternally! So His plan of redeeming you included SERVANT LEADERSHIP.
That fact teaches several important factors which can transform our thinking about leadership:
#1: “Leadership is an action, not a position.” (Chris Brady) i.e. it’s what you do!
#2: “Leaders must ALWAYS operate with the understanding that they’re part of something bigger than themselves and their own personal interests.” (Jocko, EO p.76)
#3: “Leaders move people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”
In reference to what I’m sharing these next two are critical:
#4: “Leadership IS NOT about being the best; leadership is about making everyone else better.” (@bjj_world)
#5: “The bottom line in leadership ISN’T how far we advance ourselves; it’s how far we advance OTHERS.” (LTC Rick Frank)
Philippians 2:6ff talks about how Christ humbled Himself by coming down from heaven and becoming human–a bond-servant. God did that! So leadership is best expressed in humility and in the interest of others. These verses are stated as the example to follow and the attitude we’re supposed to have (Christ’s) after we read earlier in Phil. 2:3-4 “DO NOTHING FROM SELFISHNESS OR EMPTY CONCEIT, BUT WITH HUMILITY OF MIND LET EACH OF YOU REGARD ONE ANOTHER AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIMSELF; DO NOT MERELY LOOK OUT FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS.” Have this attitude in yourselves.…” (Emphasis added) The attitude of Christ is what was then described.
Today, if you want to be a HIM, humble yourself and serve to make someone else better. Humble yourself and lead by advancing those around you!
PAX returned to taking a few lucky rolls of the dice and experiencing the Board of Pain before time was up.
COUNT-O-RAMA
NAME-O-RAMA
COT/BOM:
Announcements: Praise YHC’s nephew, Aaron, is home from deployment! PAX shared other AO’s, workout locations, with Chauffeur so he’d know where to post in the Gloom
Prayers: Chauffeur & Doubtfire (prayers for things going on on the home front); Prayers for all those still deployed, especially Aaron’s battle buddy, Cottle; Prayers for our F3 brother, Styx, experienced some recent serious heart issues.
Always thankful for the opportunity to borrow, create and execute a new Weinke. While we repeated several of the exercises, we didn’t make it through the whole Board of Pain. Perhaps another time…its just the luck of the roll. Until then…
3rd F- (Thank you Vanilla For sharing this yesterday)
“BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU
GET YOUR COUNSEL
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in
the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of
the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also
shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
PSALM 1 : 1 – 3
The brilliant first psalm contrasts the righteous and the wicked. Leaders, take note because the difference between the two seems to be where they get their counsel! Observe how a foolish leader can be led astray by a corrupt inner circle:
1. The leader begins to browse for the wrong counsel.
2. The leader begins to listen to the wrong voices.
3. The leader joins the wrong inner circle.
A wise leader meditates on God’s Word day and night.
Note the results of receiving counsel from the right inner circle:
20 Crab flippers IC (see what I did there?? 2020 AYE!!)
Bolt 45 (uggg)
20 windmills
20 smurf Jacks (double uggg)
The Thang
We stayed at the basketball courts for the first part of our beatdown and did the Webiside routine. A standard suicide but instead of touching each line the pax does an increasing number of merkins at each line. Run to the first line, do one merkin, run back to start, run to next line, do two merkins, and so on until you get to 10. A running form of the Jack Webb
Moseyed over to the baseball diamond where we started the field of dreams routine Start out by counting off by fours. 1s start at First Base AMRAP Squats until relieved. 2s at Second Base do AMRAP Mercans until relieved. 3s at Third Base do AMRAP LBC’s until relieved. 4s at Home Plate will perform 15 Burpees then run to First, relieving the Pax there. Continue until all Pax have done the Burpees.
Insert first part of F3 Message here: Q Gump read the final speech from the movie courageous details will be at the end of the Backblast.
Continued the field of dreams routine this time we swapped the exercises to all mary exercises. Home plate still did 15 Burpees, 1st base did sets of 2 BBSU and 10 overhead presses AMRAP, 2nd base did American hammers, and 3rd base did flutterkicks
Started the Bear Crawl Ring of fire: PAX lined up and bear crawled around the baseball diamond upon Q’s “halt” the first person in line did 10 merkins, while everyone else planked, than “crawl” everyone crawled until again the Q “halted” then the next HIM would do 10 merkins while everyone planked and than “crawl” rinse and repeatuntil everyone in line did 10 merkins.
2nd 3rd F message inserted here where QIC Gump read “The Resolution” (Image at end of BB)
Everyone gave quatro a Big High five after this one during the last Bear Crawl ring of fire quatro accidentally said the words “Crawl bear” so the next exercize was inspired by quatro. During this exercise we started the “Crawl Bear ring of fire” it was just as fun as bear crawl ring of fire except it super sucked. as you can imagine we craw bear’d around the baseball diamond and on the “halt” command everyone planked while 1 HIM did merkins than “crawl” and everyone crawled until “halt” than the next HIM took his turn doing 10 merkins while everyone else planked rinse and repeat until everyone did 10 merkins. and we had to crawl bear home.
Wosied back to the basketball diamond where we ran 3 sets of suicides , ran to foul shot line touched line, back to basketball hoop, half court and back, opposite foul shot line and back, and opposite out of bounds line and back, opposite foul shot line and back, half court and back, foul shot line and back was 1 round with 10 count in between each set.
20 Seal jacks. I/c 25 Cherry picker. I/c 15 smurf Jack’s. I/c Capri lap – nur length of court, side shuffle across, mosey, and side shuffle 20 Seal wave. I/c 25 Windmill I/c 20 Ssh. I/c
THE THANG
Mosey to pavilion across bridge
20 derkins BB 45 15 Upper big boy 15 Lower big boy 15 Full big boy 20 erkins 40 lbcs
Mosey to bathrooms near AO
3rd F Squats Toes out. 15 i/c Sumo style Feet 6″ apart 15 i/c Should width 15 I/c hold in squat on 15 count
35 reverse crunch Side plank for 15 count 35 flutter kick – double count Side plank for 15 count
Mosey back to AO
6 HIM showed – semi, Ruxpin, Chairman, Wildwing, leatherman, Gump
